What to do with Turkey Day leftovers

Looking for a way to spice up Thanksgiving Day leftovers?  Try this warm-you-up dish with yesterday's turkey:

Roasted Poblano & Turkey Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
3 large Poblano peppers, seeded and halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons canola oil
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ground chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 cups water
3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium organic chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can golden hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can Stewed Tomatoes, undrained (Mexican Style, if available)
4 cups leftover shredded cooked turkey breast
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup roasted unsalted pumpkinseed kernels
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips (I used blue corn)
1 sliced avocado (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

Directions
Preheat broiler.  Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 6 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag, and fold to close tightly. Let stand for 15 minutes. Peel and chop; set aside.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add chili powder and oregano; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 4 cups water, broth, tomatoes, and hominy; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in peppers and turkey; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and salt; cook 3 minutes.

Ladle about 1 1/3 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon pumpkinseed kernels, 1 tablespoon green onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve with lime wedges and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Nutrition Information: Serves 8 (1 1/3 cup each)
Calories: 213; Fat: 6.8 g; Carbohydrate: 13.8 g; Fiber: 3.2 g; Protein: 25.4 g

What’s your favorite leftover turkey dish to make?

Amber Massey, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Giving Thanks

Today it seems we are so focused on our own lives, that it takes the holidays to bring us back to the reality of the world in which we live.  So often we take for granted that we have family to spend time with, food on our table, a home to live in and friends to enjoy.  What are we doing to help teach our children that though they may not get everything they want, they have so much?  I am challenging us all on this Thanksgiving day to help us show our love and thankfulness.  

Here are a few tips to help your children learn how to give back during Thanksgiving and Christmas:

•    Help serve meals to those in need on Thanksgiving Day.
•    Donate food items to help local food pantries.
•    Talk about what you are thankful for:  family, friends, church, jobs, homes, food, etc.
•    Pack a shoebox to send across the world to help a less fortunate child enjoy Christmas.  Learn more at www.samaritanspurse.org
•    Adopt an Angel to help benefit a child or family in your community.
•    Spend time with your family and tell each person what is so special about him/her.  Everyone needs to hear how special he/she is to your family. 

Feel free to share your ideas and what you enjoy most about this time of year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Julie Swink works in Brand Management & Promotions for Texas Health Resources and is a Mom of two.

The Taste of Home for the Holidays

I’ll never forget the first time I heard my husband talk about his beloved holiday Green Jello Dish.

He and his sister used to make two batches, he’d said – one to share for the family holiday celebration on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and one they could secretly hoard away to gobble up just the two of them. I’ve never seen him talk about food more passionately than when he talks about that Green Jello Dish.   

I’ll be honest – to me the ingredients in this concoction sounded barf-tastic. Lime Jello…cream cheese…those sickly-sweet jarred cherries…really? Of all the pumpkin pie, frosted cookie, chocolate cheesecake options in the holiday sugar-fest cornucopia, this dessert is his number one pick?

Eat This, Not That: Surviving Thanksgiving Dinner

 

Did you know the average person gains seven pounds throughout the holidays?

From Halloween candy to Thanksgiving pies to Christmas baking to New Year’s cocktails, it’s easy to add a few pounds. Check out how you can avoid common nutrition holiday pitfalls this season–starting with the meal that typically leaves you stuffed and on the couch watching football all afternoon.

There are a variety of Thanksgiving dishes that are scrumptious, but lower in calories. Take a look at how you can “fine-tune” your indulging, making it easy to treat yourself without killing your waistline:

 

Have a Happy Holiday!

Thankfulness

This week every year I really look and realize everything I have to be thankful for.

Yes, I am thankful all year long and try not to take things for granted. But with Thanksgiving this week I am thinking more and more about the things I am thankful for.

A few years back, I took a lot of things for granted and really just lived day to day. It took just a quick turn in my life to really sit down and realize all that I have been blessed with. Wow, God really has blessed my family, friends and me more than I could ever have imagined. I love more than anything that I am able to serve my family each and every day. Even just in the small things like listening to them tell a story about something that happened to them during the day. My husband and two daughters put a smile on my face and fill my heart.

I challenge you this week and every week throughout the year to look through the small window of life and see what God is doing for you and through you each and every day.  I can promise you even in the hardest days, God has a plan for you and your life.

Be Blessed this Thanksgiving!

Stephanie Abernathy is a Mom of two in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who works at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford. She is wife to Clint Abernathy, administrative director of business optimization and ancillary services at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance. 

Love conquers all

I believe that three of the most powerful words in the English language are “I love you.”

When I was a kid, my parents worked all sorts of odd jobs and had odd hours. I could always count on my dad leaving a note on the counter with instructions and an “I love you” written on it. My parents taught us that we should always end every conversation with those words.

Fast forward to today, and we still keep that habit. I model it for my children. I tell them and my husband that I love them at random times. And apparently they’re noticing.

Ten Tips for Turkey Day

We’re just one week away from pumpkin pie, turkey with cranberry and sweet potato casserole! Are you hosting Thanksgiving at your home this year? Follow these tips for a safe and happy holiday for your family this turkey day:

• Thaw safely. Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator at 40 degrees for 24 hours for every four or five pounds before cooking it.

• Wash your hands! Use warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling any food.

• Don’t rinse the bird. Rinsing raw meat and poultry before cooking can spread bacteria to areas around the sink and countertops.

• Double up on cutting boards. Consider using one cutting board only for raw meat and poultry and another one for things like raw fruits and vegetables.

• Check your food temps. Use a food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, and fish are cooked to a safe internal temperature. To check a turkey for safety, insert a food thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. The turkey is safe when the temperature reaches 165°F. If the turkey is stuffed, the temperature of the stuffing should be 165°F.